Students and staff at McManus Middle School at the school’s garden on July 24. Back row, from left, are secretary Helen Koby, math teacher Christine Miskov, Vice Principal Wayne Happel, science teacher Patricia Klingert, and Principal Peter Fingerlin. In front are incoming sixth-graders Hunter DeGregorio and Adam Johnson.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Linden Public Schools)

Staff and students at McManus Middle School in Linden were working on the school’s vegetable garden on Tuesday, July 24, picking vegetables, tending to plants and putting down mulch.

The garden is funded through a Union County “Kids Dig In” grant. It’s the second year the school has planted the garden, doubling from four beds to eight this year. They are growing kale, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, jalapeños, honeydew, cantaloupe and more.

The produce is donated to needy families at the school first, then to the county's senior nutrition program at Linden’s John T. Gregorio Recreation Center and a food pantry run by the Linden Interfaith Network for Community Service (LINCS). The grant requires that 30 percent of the produce goes to charity.

“Kids Dig In” gardens are growing at several Linden Public Schools, including School No. 2, School No. 5, School No. 6, and the Academy of Excellence alternative high school.

School No. 4 teachers washing lettuce that was harvested from the school’s garden for a salad bar party for students on June 20. From left are Maria Cioffi, Jamie Schrafft and Melissa Miceli.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Linden Public Schools)

A garden at School No. 4, in its third year, is funded through the New Jersey Agricultural Society’s Learning Through Gardening grant, which seeks to teach students to make healthier food choices and take better care of their environment, all while making learning more exciting.

Alvernia University

The following Central Jersey residents at Alvernia University in Philadelphia were named to the spring dean's list: Timothy Bailey of Monroe, Karina Desai of Old Bridge, Erin Devlin of Rahway, Katelyn Dougherty of Clark, Samantha Homan of Princeton, Matthew Junio of Edison, Siri Myhre of Cranford, Arielle Phillips of Old Bridge, Sara Rustemeyer of Colonia, Victoria Seamon of Somerset, Caleigh Van Der Veer of Monmouth Junction, Jessica VanDusen of Monroe. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5

Carleton College

Simon Bilsky-Rollins of Princeton received a bachelor's degree in computer science, cum laude from Carleton College in Minnesota on June 9.

Georgia Institute of Technology

The following Central Jersey residents at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, were named to the spring dean's list: Raghav Gupta, Shrivathsav Seshan of Plainsboro, David Arida of East Brunswick, Sana Ajani, Chirag Gurukiran, Shravan Hariharan, Shreya Keshive, Tina Lu, Ankita Verma of Edison, Bharat Kanwar of Kendall Park. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.0.

High Point University

The following Central Jersey residents received their degrees from High Point University in North Carolina in the spring: Peter A. Falgiano of Piscataway, Megan Elizabeth McDonald of Skillman, Julia Ann Zipp of South Plainfield.

ALSO: The following residents were named to the spring dean's list: McKenzie Cooper of Cranford, Ninotchka Guasch of Dunellen, Kelley Gosling of Edison. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5.

Rutgers University

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education recently voted to reaffirm Rutgers’ accreditation for the next nine years following visits from a team of peer evaluators who commended the university for its focus on affordability and accessibility.

The decision completes a multiyear examination of the progress that Rutgers has made since its last Middle States review in 2008, President Robert Barchi wrote in a letter to the university community. The next evaluation visit is scheduled for 2026-2027.

“As I noted in my prior communications on reaccreditation, access to federal and state funding, scholarships, grants, student loans, and research financing all hinge on the university’s accreditation, which is also critical to the public’s trust in the value of a Rutgers education,’’ Barchi said.

A nine-member team of peer evaluators visited Rutgers locations in February and March of 2018 and met with board members, faculty, students and administrators across the university.

Following the visits the team presented a written report that commended Rutgers for:

Living a deeper mission than its focus on excellence in teaching, research and service. Their focus on affordability and accessibility across geography, and economic, ethnic, and racial differences is noteworthy.

Transformational change with respect to planning, resources and institutional improvement through systems that support quantifiable metrics and deeper understanding of operational efficiency.

Sustained commitment to demonstrating excellence in educational effectiveness and the examination of educational effectiveness.

Accomplishing its merger with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in a thoughtful and effective manner.

Rutgers started preparing in the fall of 2015 for the culmination of the accreditation cycle with the Middle States Commission – a peer-based membership association dedicated to promoting standards of excellence and improvement in higher education.

More than 100 faculty, administrators, students and members of Rutgers’ governing boards conducted an intensive self-study of the university, soliciting input from the entire Rutgers community both online and through a series of campus forums and group presentations.

The final 109-page self-study report was compiled as a comprehensive reflection on Rutgers’ strengths and challenges, touching every aspect of the university – from academic programs, planning and governance to support for the student experience. The report included an executive summary and appendices, with links to over 1,000 documents and websites, which was presented to the Middle States Commission in February in preparation for the visits.

Barbara Lee, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs, and Ann Gould, a faculty member in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences’ Department of Plant Biology and immediate past chair of the Rutgers University Senate, led a 25-member self-study steering committee that finalized the report.

During the 2018 commencement ceremony, the following students were honored: The Pavonia Media was presented to Christopher Shane Micak of Edison. The Bucciarelli Graduate Education Medal was presented to Erika Michelle Charles of Jamesburg. The Hopper Medal, in honor of Commodore Grace M. Hopper, was presented to Marvin Mendez of Perth Amboy. The SPCS Medal was presented to Michell Angella Mills of Piscataway. The Joanne Amato Memorial Award in Nursing was presented to Sydney Lynn Kurfehs of South Amboy. The Public Policy Media was presented to Milagros Solis of Rahway.

Stonehill College

Celine Maligranda of Monroe Township was named to the spring dean's list at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5.

The State University of New York/Oneonta

Laurel Fox of Monroe Township was named to the spring dean's list at The State University of New York/Oneonta. Students must achieve grade-point average of 3.5.

The State University of New York/New Paltz

Jesse Herman of Edison received his degree from the State University of New York/New Paltz.

University of Findlay

Chiebuka Chukwuneke of Edison was named to the spring dean's list at the University of Findlay in Ohio. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5.

University of Iowa

Jennifer Chiurco of Princeton, received a master's degree in medicine in the spring from the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The following Central Jersey residents at the University of Minnesota were named to the spring dean's list: Rachel S. Rubenfeld of Metuchen and Robert Orokos of North Brunswick.

University of New Hampshire

The following Central Jersey residents at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, were named to the spring dean's list: Ross Doerier of Princeton, honors; Victoria Bandera of East Brunswick, highest honors; Lisa D'Alessandro of Iselin, honors; Jamie Bowman of Somerset, highest honors. Students must achieve a grade point average of 3.85 (highest honors) 3.65 (high honors) and 3.5 (honors).

University of New Haven

Shalem Lakkepogu of Carteret received a master's degree in healthcare administration in May from the University of New Haven in Connecticut.

University of North Georgia

Edward Sheridan of East Brunswick spent six weeks at University of North Georgia (UNG) learning Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Russian in the Summer Language Institute (SLI), an intensive, immersive program.

University of Rhode Island

The following Central Jersey residents received their degrees on May 20 from the University of Rhode Island in Rhode Island:

University of Wisconsin-Madison

The following Central Jersey residents at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were named to the spring dean's list: East Brunswick: Zachary Adams, Alvin Lee, honor, Amy So; Edison: Rachel Piltser, high honors; Skillman: Marina Reed, high honor; Somerset: Micah Johnson.

Western New England University

ALSO: The following residents were named to the spring dean's list: Dimple Patel of Piscataway and Kirti Rajput of Metuchen.

Wheaton College

Lauren Lee of East Brunswick was named to the spring dean's list at Wheaton College in Illinois. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5.

Widener University

The following Central Jersey residents at Widener University in Pennsylvania were named to the spring dean's list: Cole Cusanelli of Monroe, Brielle Errico of Monmouth Junction, Imrin Goraya of South Plainfield, Yesha Patel of Monroe Township, Austin Rivera of Edison, Samantha Lucas of Monroe Township,Leena Kasa of East Brunswick. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5

Rise of the Robots students collaborate to prepare their robot for a tug-of-war competition.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Woodbridge Township School District)

Woodbridge Township's Summer Enrichment Program

Under the leadership of the Gifted and Talented (G&T) department, the Woodbridge Township School District partnered with the Woodbridge Recreation Department to offer Woodbridge’s fifth annual Summer Enrichment Program during this summer.

The camp-style classes, taught by G&T teachers as well as other teachers from Woodbridge Township schools, were offered for one week in July and one week in August. These fun-focused classes provided the opportunity for all students to participate in Enrichment opportunities and ensured that the learning continues in Woodbridge all summer long.